The Final Carnival
by ToriOfTheYuri
Summary: Entry for MU Teaparty for MUses. Prologue to the HiME anime. A little insight into Mashiro and Nagi's relationship to the Carnival and each other.


**Teaparty for MUses 1: Beginnings.**

Here is my entry for the MaiUniverse Teaparty for MUses project. A prologue to the HiME anime. Not a lot has been canon on this, so it's really just my own vision of a possible way things happened.

**Thanks to Mae-chan for beta-ing!**

**The Final Carnival**

"I just-! I don't know what to do!" the young maiden cried, burying her face into the shoulder of the boy next to her.

"You," there was a hesitant sigh, and he pulled her closer, "have to fight, Mashiro-chan."

The aquamarine eyes gazed upward and the tears now fell down her cheek. This was not the answer she wanted. No, this couldn't have been the answer at all!

"Nagi!" her voice turned from one of sadness to frustration, "I can't! I have to stop them!"

The boy continued to hold his hands around the smaller ones that had been shaking, looking at her seriously. His eyes, that always radiated a soft pink which made the girl feel safe, were now begging her.

"This is your fate too," he was prepared for the shocked and hopeless expression. Aware that this was already hard enough on his beloved princess, but to be directly told her dreams were to be futile, it was surely going to be difficult.

"As a HiME... you aren't a bystander, Mashiro-chan. It is your fate to be a part of this battle... no matter what."

Crestfallen, the girl shut her eyes tightly, vividly remembering what she had just seen the night prior; and allowed herself to once again be embraced by Nagi.

_There were rumours amongst the few she spoke to that the HiME had begun fighting amongst themselves, but Mashiro had no idea why until she saw it with her own eyes. After hearing the sounds of a conflict, the girl rushed to the scene to see one of her friends in tears. Her lupine Child howled from behind her, a heart wrenching sound as they charged again towards another girl whom Mashiro had seen in passing. This one was a HiME too, clearly, wielding a crimson naginata and charging towards the roaring beast._

"_Stop!" Mashiro yelled and ran into the fray, summoning her shield of fire to brace against the pole arm's impact. Still, it forced them both to ricochet off each other and land in a triangular formation._

"_Don't interfere!" she heard before seeing the blade of the weapon extend towards her._

"_Yafusa! Go!" the wolf bit into the serpent-Child._

_And that was the last of the battle that she saw. Mashiro blinked in awe when she looked up, seeing her comrade in arms standing weakly above her; the shadow of a blade pierced through her torso._

"_No..." the girl muttered, tears welling up inside her. She could feel the blood dripping down onto her face._

"_I'm sorry Mashiro," the other girl spoke, a painful chuckle coming from her as she fell to her knees, "But I don't stand a chance... not with these rules... And neither does she."_

"_NO!" cried both Mashrio and the girl farthest from them as the darkness became lit with green sparks._

"_You know now," the ice HiME said, turning her focus back to the third girl, "That the person dearest to me... was you..."_

_Then it happened. In a flash, her friend vanished into thin air, and so had her Child. Furthermore, Mashiro noted the fading life of the other HiME, and after a few inaudible words, she too disappeared in the same manner. Leaving only the scars on the land and in the heart._

"_The person... dearest..." Mashiro's fists clenched around the blood-stained earth; the reality of her fate was finally clear._

"Nagi!" she choked out again, just like she had many times that night. Her slender fingers pulled tightly on his clothing, clinging tightly at the thought of what would happen if she chose to remain passive.

"The others won't stop fighting, Mashiro-chan," he said, petting the soft lavender tresses to comfort her, "and at some point... it's going come to come down to you and one other. Then it's kill or be killed."

"I can't lose!" she snapped, suddenly taken aback by her own rash words, delicately covering her mouth and looking away from the sad eyes that were looking at _her_.

"It's okay to be determined," he added.

_Since you're going to need it when the time comes._

The young couple held each other tenderly, silent amidst their chaotic thoughts. Mashiro, distraught with her fleeting hope, and Nagi having to face the moment he had been dreading for so long. The girl had been a special HiME, one whom had won the affections of the Obsidian Lord's advisor; the one trained by him from the shadows from her awakening onwards. However, this had also made her the most mouldable HiME. She knew the least about the events at hand, by Nagi's discretion and wishes to keep her from her fate.

"I wish you weren't chosen for this," he whispered, debating whether to direct her onwards or leave it at this for tonight.

"But... I was..." Mashiro replied, certain neutrality in her tone.

"Mashiro-chan?" Nagi leaned back and looked down into her eyes.

"You are right. The others will not stop, and if that cursed star is going to make us all lose our minds eventually... I have no choice but to defeat them now, before I get lost as well."

The boy blinked, tilting his head to the side briefly before the realization hit him.

"Nagi, I am going to end this. While I still have my sanity, I will fight my way into Kokuyouguu and defeat the Obsidian Lord himself!"

"You can't!" Nagi pleaded, gripping the girl's shoulders tightly. He swallowed to calm his voice, needing to appear as much of an outsider as possible.

"Mashiro-chan, how do you expect to do that? Do you even know what he is?"

"A monster..." she closed her eyes and turned away, clenching a fist determinedly in front of her, "A monster who feeds on the hate he makes, only to breed more monsters to continue the fight. This is why I'm going to defeat every remaining HiME, wield the guilt and pain for myself... And kill him!"

Crystal eyes opened and shone with resolve. They may have been glistening with tears, but their direction would not change. Steadfast and looking ahead, towards a future she would face without looking back.

Nagi remained seated next to her, keeping his fearful shock hidden behind awe of respect. His expression slowly relaxed into one of mournful pride as he embraced her for what he knew would be the last time.

_I should expect nothing less from you... Mashiro-chan..._

"...I'm sorry."

-0-

Emptiness reigned over the young princess. Mashiro strode silently through the caverns beneath the village of Fuuka, the same grim determination reflecting in her eyes; unscathed since the moment she made her decision. She had made it. She was the last remaining HiME. And now, the underworld would open before her.

Sandals padded through the damp earth beneath the girl's feet, only a few more steps until she reached stone pavement and could see a 'room' ahead of her. The darkness of the pathway became lit in this place, torches hanging from the walls and shining on the frescos to reveal the secrets of their existence. Mashiro stood still, staring at eleven raised pillars, each engraved with the crest of the fallen Childs. Her fist clenched and she narrowed her eyes at the far wall, reading the ancient cryptic language to herself.

"... Bring me to him," she commanded aloud, and the ground began to rumble. Mashiro cautiously walked across the platform that held the pillars, unable to look directly at them because of the immense guilt she felt, but also knowing it would make her stronger. Terms like 'friends' or 'enemies' were for the innocent, and from a time she'd long since put out of her mind. To her each was a slain comrade whom she would avenge.

Mashiro walked down the stairs, into the darkness of another hidden pathway. There was only one option for her, to continue ahead until she reached the exit. The girl shielded her eyes briefly as she stepped into the lighter area that was much larger and more open that the previous room. Her eyes gazed around in mild surprise at the cliff-like expanse she stepped out onto, willing herself all the way to the edge where she peered down. A light gasp escaped her then, as the remains of an old city came into view; no doubt the Fuuka that had been left to decay away after the previous Carnival.

"Well well, my princess has finally arrived!" a voice bellowed from above on an adjacent cliff.

Blue eyes glanced up and focused on the man that stepped forward. Clad in the armour of a fallen samurai, the Obsidian Lord made contact with his future bride. Golden eyes shone to meet hers, and he grinned.

"I should have known it would be you... my beloved little sister."

"Ani-ue!" Mashiro cried, baring her teeth as she stepped forward just once, faltering for the first time. The sight of her brother being possessed stopped her temporarily, but looking deeper into those eyes she saw that the kind man who had cared for her was gone. He was another victim of this wretched event.

"Heh... Even if you were him," she scoffed, "There is someone who has taken the place of my dearest one! Someone I would even kill my own brother to save!"

"Ah yes," he chuckled, turning behind him for a second, "Nagi, come out and greet her will you?"

Mashiro's breath hitched as she looked to the side of the Obsidian Lord, her mouth agape with shock. Standing next to the man she was to kill was the one she loved more than anything. His eyes closed and head lowered, withholding his distress and self-loathing behind gritting teeth.

"Nagi..." the girl took another step forward, "...What are- Why are you here?"

"Hmph, such a shame you would choose this coward over me," the dark prince glanced at the bowed head of his servant.

"Mashiro-chan..." the boy began, "I am the one that brought you here..."

"You... what?"

"Nagi here is my servant, forever at my side to guide all of the HiME through the events of the Carnival."

"I'm sorry... Mashiro-chan... But I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth. The longer I didn't, the more I fell in love with you and the harder it became to risk losing you."

"I... Don't believe this..." the girl was at a loss for words, looking down at the ground solemnly.

"Nagi, you... You watched over all the HiME? So, you being there when I awoke was no coincidence? You suggesting things that turned out to be true, those were the same things that you told all of us? It was all part of your job?"

The icy blue eyes burned with intensity.

"You telling me to fight? To defeat the others? That was his will wasn't it? You were just making me do it? How could you?"

"Mashiro-chan," Nagi tried to take deep breaths, "I had no choice but to guide you like the rest, and I had to make sure that you were the winner! So that you wouldn't feel the pain that the others did."

"To save your own life!" Mashiro yelled back, the cry echoing loud through the emptiness as flames rose up around her. A gargantuan white-scaled dragon was summoned from behind her; rising up from the young HiME's emotions was the ancient Kagutsuchi.

"...I won't forgive you," she stated, looking deep into Nagi's eyes before turning to the man who had once been her brother, "Kagutsuchi!"

The phoenix Child reeled back its long neck, screeching a battle cry as it amassed a fireball from its core.

"Heh, not so fast," the Obsidian Lord snapped his fingers, causing a bright eye to open on the sword stabbed through the Child's head.

Mashiro's eyes darted to the side to see the Kagutsuchi writhe and howl in pain, unable to fight against his true master. The girl tried to calm him, but to no avail; and when dismissing him did not work either, it was clear he was no longer under her control. If she was to fight, she would have to do it alone.

Carried by her rings of fire, Mashiro charged through the air in an attempt to tackle the Obsidian Lord to the ground and beat him by force; but she was halted. Despite the strength of her fury, the HiME was intercepted by Nagi, who, as quick as he could, brought her to the ground a fair distance from his master, albeit on the same cliff now.

"Mashiro-chan, you can't!"

"Get off me," she growled, using her enhanced strength to shove him away and regain her footing, only to be blocked again.

"Don't taunt him, and don't anger him! I don't want him to hurt you!"

"I'm not a coward like you, Nagi!" Mashiro yelled and rose up in the air again, this time trying to attack from above with a rain of fire, but this was as far as she would go. Her fate had been decided long before she was aware of anything to do with the HiME, and as such, the Obsidian Lord would have his way.

Drawing his blade, the man raised it above his head and created an impenetrable shield against the onslaught; absorbing the energy in order to release it in a powerful swipe into the air so fast and so powerful, that Mashiro was knocked down instantly. She cried out in pain from the strike as well as the fall to the rocky ground. Her rings were still intact, but her spine was not, and the girl began to cough up blood. Her fierce eyes looked up at the approaching dark figure; she would fight until the end... If only she could move.

"This _is_ the end, Mashiro," the Obsidian Lord said, kneeling down in front of the girl and lifting her chin in his hand, bringing their faces closer together; And although clenched in pain and disgust, the girl's aqua eyes opened one last time to glance into the rosy ones that she realized, in these final moments, inexplicably still made her feel safe.

"Gah!" the boy averted his eyes the second Mashiro closed hers once again, unable to look at the kiss that turned her to crystal. That was _his_ love that had been reduced to just another of the many wives kept by his master... and by his own doing.

"Hmph, what a poor servant I have," the dark prince said dryly after pulling away from the girl's body that was continuing to morph into its solid state and become encased in crystal.

"Trying to keep her from me, Nagi? You should know better."

The boy's fists clenched at his sides, trembling with both fear and rage, glancing back and forth between Mashiro and the Obsidian Lord.

"Oh? What's with that look? Really, you're letting this foolish thing get a hold of you too mu-" he was interrupted by a violent cry from the boy a few feet away and arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"You didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye!" Nagi howled as violet-black energy swarmed around him, moulding together to form Orphans. The sight he had just witnessed forced him into a state that only a fallen HiME could understand. The insanity creeping about his mind as even more of the lesser monsters were summoned to his side before rushing the older man. For no more than this brief moment did Nagi cast his fears aside and act impulsively—But it had been so very brief.

With a frigid stare into the boy's burning eyes, all of the Orphans began to dissipate and return to nothing; followed quickly by Nagi falling to his knees weakly.

"How slippery is your mind? Forgetting who it is that gives you your power," the Obsidian Lord scoffed, slowly stepping towards the trembling boy, "and even then, all you could possibly make are these weaklings. Not even the winning HiME's Child stood a chance."

He towered over him, sword sheathed in his hand and placed back at his side. The dark prince silently stared down; sheer power radiating from his eyes. Nagi continued to struggle against the life draining from his body, tortured by the slowness. Bit by bit, he was forced into an expressive bow. His back no longer could hold itself up, requiring his shaky arms to bear the weight of his torso while his fingers dug into the ground.

"You must continue to keep the HiME fighting. No matter what your _beloved_ tries to do... because you will always belong to me, and no one else."

It was through this that the boy was reminded of his place, and the irrefutable notion that _if _the Obsidian Lord were defeated, he would die as well. Tiredly, he allowed his neck to fall, lowering his head to his master; and the pain stopped.

"Hmph..." the man extended his sheathed blade, placing it under Nagi's chin and lifting his head, "you really are a coward."

The katana was then dropped in front of the boy, the man now being certain his servant would not try anything more against him. It was time for him to continue on with the task at hand. Treaded back over to the now-solidified body of Mashiro, the dark prince reached down for the pendant that hung around her neck. He held it in his palm for a second, admiring the beauty of the dark stone at the core of the star's symbol, and then removed it from her.

Nagi -who had since gotten to his feet- watched from a distance as his master held one of the necklaces in his hand before taking hold of his own. With a light tug, the string came undone and the two stones dimmed in colour.

"It is time for me to sleep again. I trust you will take care of things?" the man said, tossing both of the pendants over his shoulder for Nagi to catch. His body then began to disappear, not by way of shimmering green sparks, but by the dark energy melting from him and down into the ground. With a light thud, the dead body of Mashiro's elder brother fell to the ground next to her. Nagi sighed gravely.

"... Yes, my Lord."

-0-

_**299 Years Later...**_

"_Mashiro-chan...?"_ the girl in question heard her name whispered.

"Mashiro-chan!"

"Ah...?" slowly, the light blue eyes opened and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, "What...? Where am I?"

"You've been sleeping for nearly three centuries..." the boy, who had been sitting next to her, spoke uneasily.

A second later their eyes met, and everything came clear in Mashiro's mind. The long slumber granted by her gift of eternal life had fogged her sense of self, but amongst this new futuristic world she remembered that face. The face of the boy who lied to her, who forced her into this state, but who in this frightening place reminded her of the surroundings she knew.

"Nagi..." she said, stating that she remembered him, but clearly unhappy about it. However, she looked around from her position lying down to see that she was actually in a box of some kind. A coffin?

"Mashiro-chan, I-"

"Don't call me that," she snapped, looking away angrily, the three hundred year's rest did nothing to ease what had happened.

"...Alright," Nagi replied, crestfallen at her harshness, but was not about to judge her for it. Although, he continued to look down on her pale face and saw that her tension eased into a more neutral state. Perhaps she could at least be civil to listen to him.

"Right now," he continued, "your true body is still encased in crystal, deep within Kokuyouguu. This is a doll form that I have made to house your soul in this time. Can you move?"

Silently, the girl shifted her facial features while trying to move the rest of herself. She was surprised to find that, with the body of a doll, atrophy was no matter and she was sitting up in no time. Mashiro twisted her neck and torso for a bit, resting her hands on each side of the coffin while looking around the room. It was a bedroom, a master bedroom to be more precise, with many similar dolls along the shelves.

"What are those?" she asked.

"Prototypes," Nagi replied.

"I spent most of the time trying to make the most suitable one for you, building them up and dissecting them again and so on. It's part of my job..." his voice trailed off, "to ensure that the Queen wakes up perfectly."

Mashiro fell silent again, looking down.

"That's who I am now isn't it? The Queen of Hell... The bride of the Obsidian Lord..."

"Mm..." all he could do was nod in agreement, it was true.

"Can you move your legs?" Nagi asked, attempting to move on from the undoubtedly painful subject. He saw Mashiro twitch her feet, but eyed her when she stopped.

"No, I'm not going to walk."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because I don't deserve to. The last place I walked was through those pillars and into Kokuyouguu... where I fought and lost. I should be alongside the other HiME now, not alive here. I became paralyzed in my fight with the Obsidian Lord, so I will remain so here."

"Ah," the boy sighed and lightly tapped his head, "Ever the honourable warrior... I always admired that about you."

Mashiro shot him a glare, confirming that he was indeed correct in that analysis of her character, and reminded that after what he had done, he had little right to even speak to her if one was to go by the long gone archaic customs.

"Things have changed quite a bit in this world Mashiro-ch-" he stopped himself abruptly, "Mashiro-sama."

"Hmph... and just like the previous ones, you are going to be the one to guide me through this world? That's also part of your _job_ isn't it? You are the only one who has been awake this whole time, and are supposed to fill in both me and the new prince?" she grit her teeth.

"Well I don't want it," she looked at him again, perhaps not viciously, but dominant, "I can take care of myself alone in this world."

The soft pink eyes looked down, sombrely watching the girl trying to struggle out of the coffin without the use of her legs. He threw caution to the wind and leaned over, taking hold of her shoulders and sitting her back down calmly.

"I have found someone to take care of you," he said, making her curious enough to allow herself to be handled by him. A moment later, the door at the end of the room opened and two men in black suits ushered in a pink haired woman in traditional maid's clothing. She had a gentle, caring smile that seemed to put the young girl at ease.

"This is Fumi-san," Nagi introduced as the woman bowed, "and she is a HiME."

"Hm?" Mashiro turned back to the boy.

"She does not yet have the ability to materialize, but she is aware of all of the secrets of the Carnival. Normally having a HiME know that much is not allowed, but something strange happened when your soul left your true body."

"What?" she tilted her head curiously.

"Well, in plain terms, not all of it left. Normally, the Crystal Princess sleeps along with the Obsidian Lord of the time between two Carnivals, but a part of you never let go of this world and never fell asleep. Part of you still remains in your true body as well."

"I see... and this means what exactly?"

"What it was that you were holding onto... it grew over time and eventually your soul formed into that of a Child."

Mashiro's eyes narrowed at the thought. At first it irked her that she would be forced to fight in this Carnival again, but then her memory struck her. What it was that she held onto so tightly: her dream of saving the HiME.

_I knew it... The cycle is starting to break..._ her fist clenched, _I may have failed in my time... but I will not fail in this time._

"You are Fumi-san's Child, Mashiro-sama, which is why she was chosen to be your caretaker."

The room then became quiet. Amongst the three of them, there was nothing left to say. There were no more explanations that could not be left up to Fumi later on; which both Nagi and Mashiro knew meant this little time of peace was over. The boy did not leave though, partially wishing to selfishly stay by her side longer. However, the longer the silence drawled out, the more it became clear that she would not be the one to initiate any connection between them.

"Mashiro-chan," he abused using that honorific for the moment, "I'm sorry."

His head bowed, and Fumi quiet to the side, he failed to notice the lack of hate in the young girl's expression. Expecting to be reprimanded by her again, Nagi was surprised when the tone he heard was just as calm as it had been while explaining the situation.

"...I know," she replied, looking over at him now that his attention perked up.

"This is... just our fate. I can feel it inside me, the tie I now have to this whole thing, and to the Obsidian Lord... It's even greater than when I was a HiME... I know that you had no choice but to guide me through this, just like I now have to guide the new ones."

"I never wanted to hurt you," he was now knelt down beside the coffin, resting a hand on the edge of it next to hers. Unable to touch.

"Mm... but it is also our fate to be on opposite sides, never together," she moved her hand away to rest on her lap.

"Mashiro-chan?" Nagi blinked when her eyes looked into his, glowing with the same fierceness as she held three hundred years ago.

"You will always serve him, and I do not intend to sit idly by as Queen. Guide them however the Obsidian Lord tells you to, but I will be advising these girls as well."

Nagi's expression flickered with sadness before turning into a cocky smirk as he stood.

"So you intend to make it a competition between us?"

"See it however you want, but we will not be allied advisors to the HiME."

"I should have expected as much, Mashiro-chan," Nagi shrugged nonchalantly and hopped onto the nearby windowsill, bringing the setting sun to the attention of the two females in the room.

"Where are you going?" the girl asked.

"To get this Carnival started," he said with clearly overdone confidence, "the first HiME will awaken tonight."

And with the snap of his fingers, he was gone. Mashrio continued to stare sadly at where he had been, watching the orange light fade behind the mountains of Fuuka. She had been dreaming, for the entirety of her sleep, of the next Carnival. Perhaps it was a part of being the Crystal Princess, but there was always a part of her individuality that she held onto. Throughout the nightmarish battles she envisioned, there was always someone there with her. No matter how he had lied in their previous life, Mashiro knew now, when faced to oppose him that Nagi would always remain her most important person.

"Fumi-san," Mashiro looked up at the maid and took a deep breath, firmly stating her goal, "it is time to begin the final Carnival."


End file.
